Joint sealing means for well heads



6, i949. A. J. PENICK 2948051955 JOINT SEALING MEANS' FOR WELL HEADS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 29, 1945 JOINT SEALING MEANS FOR WELL HEADS Filed Oct. 29, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 s5 w m 4 I2 7 nm a{ 37 Kr l4 ll 2? 25 I 41 26 I 30 as 9 ,4 @21 I0 H... 2.3

2| L I 7 1o 1 I! lb I i7 3 I Patented Sept. 6, 1949 JOINT SEALING MEANS FOR WELL HEADS Arthur J. Penick, Houston, Tex., assignor to Center Tool Company, Houston, Tex a corporation of Texas Application October 29, 1945, Serial No. 625,140 Claims. (Cl. 285-22) This invention relates to joint sealing means for well heads.

An object of the invention is to provide means for sealing the joints between the adjacent parts of a well head as well as between the adjacent parts of the Christmas tree construction mounted on the head.

At the present time the joints between the parts, or sections, of the well head as well as between the Christmas tree parts are sealed by a metal seal ring, or gasket, which is seated in registering grooves of the connected parts. Seal rings are exposed to the oil, gas, or other well fluid which usually contains acids and are therefore subject to the corrosive influence of said acids and eventually corrode allowing leaks of the well fluid.

it is a prime object of the present invention to provide means for sealing the joints which will protect the metal gaskets from contact with the acids contained in the well fluid and which will therefore prevent, or, reduce, the corrosion of said gaskets.

It is another object of the invention to provide, in well head construction of the character reierred to, a countersunk sleeve within the adjacent parts which covers the joint between said parts with seal rings around said sleeve on opposits sides of the joint, said seal rings being formed of resilient sealing material with means applying a compressive force to the seal rings to maintain their sealing contact with the metal sleeve.

The invention further embodies a countersunk sleeve within the parts to be joined together with surrounding seal rings enclosed within grooves in the parts around said sleeve and reserve supplies of packing material which may, from time to time, be forced into said grooves to insure leak proof seals around thesleeve.

With the above and other objects in view the invention has particular relation to certain novel features of construction, arrangement of parts and use, examples of which are given in the specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of a Christmas tree, shown partly in section and embodying the invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary side elevation, partly in section, of the well head on which the Christmas tree is mounted, and b0e 3 is a fragmentary side view of the slip Referring now more particularly to the drawings, wherein like numrals of reference desigmate the same parts in each of the figures, the numeral l designates a casing head adapted to be connected to the upper end of the well casing (not shown) in the well known manner.

This casing head has one or more outflow lines, as Z, 2, and above these lines has an inside downwardly tapering seat 3.

In the present illustration the upper end of the casing head has an external annular flange t and on the casing head there is a tubing head 5 whose lower end is formed with an external annular flange t which is mounted on the flange d and connected thereto by the bolts 1. The flanges t and 6 have the registering annular rooves l3 and 5 in which there is seated the metal asket it.

The tubing head is provided with one or more lateral outlet ports in through which the fluid may flow to corresponding lateral outlet lines which may be controlled by suitable valves, as ii. In the present illustration these valves have the external annular flanges, as l3, which may be bolted to the sides of the tubing head. Between each flange and the tubing head there is an annular metal gasket it which is seated in registering grooves in the head and in the corresponding hence it.

The upper end of the well pipe it extends up through the casing head i and into the tubing head, as shown in Figure 2. There is a seal around the pipe i5 and the casing head comprising upper and lower metal wearrings l6 and ii, the latter of which is seated on the seat 3. This seal also includes annular, expansible, seal'rings it which are located between the wearrings it and i! and are formed of resilient material.

There is a slip bowl is supported on the upper wearring it formed of two, half round sections and whose inner side is formed with a downwardly and inwardly tapering seat to receive the pipe supporting slips 20 which are wedge shaped to fit within the bowl and whose inner sides are toothed to engage and grip the pipe l5.

The sections of the slip bowl are maintained in transverse alignment by means of fingers, as 2 l, which may be welded to one section and which project into transverse external grooves, or notches, in the other section.

The upper end of the bowl i!) has an upwardly and inwardly tapering, annular, face 22 and threaded through the flange 4 are the lock down bolts 23 whose inner ends are conical shaped and work against the face 22 so that by screwing the bolts inwardly the bowl may be forced downwardly to apply a compressive force to the seal rings It so that they may be at any time expanded to prevent leakage, should the same develop.

There is a seal in the flange 4 around each lock down bolt 23 which in the present instance, is illustrated as a stuiling box 24.

The lower end of the passageway through the tubing head is enlarged thus forming an annular downwardly and outwardly tapering shoulder 25 and a metal ring 26, conforming in shape to said shoulder, is seated thereagainst, said ring closely surrounding the pipe I and screwed into the lower end of the tubing head there is an annular metal gland 21. Accordingly between said gland and the ring 26 there is a groove formed within the tubing head which may be filled with resilient sealing material 28. Radiating from said last mentioned groove there are the reserve containers 29 which are filled with a reserve supply of said sealing material. Plungers 30 are threaded through the flange 6 and their inner ends abut said reserve supplies. Accordingly, should a leak develop past the seal 28 the plungers may be screwed inwardly to force additional sealing material into the seal ring 28 to stop the leak. There is a seal between each plunger and the flange 6, said seal, in the present instance, being illustrated as a stufling box 3|.

As illustrated in Figure 2 there is a flow line 32' within and spaced from the well pipe l5.

Screwed onto the upper end of the flow line 32 there is, a head 33 which conforms to the shape of and is supported by an inside downwardly tapering seat 34 at the upper end of the tubing head. There are the external annular seal rings 35 around and countersunk into the head 33 which form a seal between said head and the tubing head.

It will be noted from an inspection of Figure 2 that the gasket is protected from contact with the well fluid by the seal ring I8 beneath the gasket and the seal ring 28 above it.

The valve casings l2 and the adjacent parts of the tubing head are countersunk on opposite sides 01! the joint between them and seated in this countersunk portion there is a sealing sleeve 36 which breaks the joint between these parts. Countersunk into the tubing head and into the valve casings l2 and surrounding the ends of the sleeves 36 on opposite sides of the joint there are the seal rings 31, 31 formed of resilient material which form fluid tight joints around the sleeve 36 and these seal rings and the sleeve protect the metal gasket l4 from contact from the well fluid. For the purpose of supplying additional sealing material to the rings 31 reserve supplies of material may be provided in the tubing head and valve casings with plungers, such as 30. provided whereby additional sealing material may be forced into the seal rings 31 should a leak develop.

The upper end or the tubing head has an external annular flange 38 upon which the Christmas tree, shown in Figure 1, may be installed.

The parts of this Christmas tree are connected by suitable external annular flanges designated in the present illustration by the flanges 39, 40 and the flanges 4|, 42 which may be bolted together.

Between these respective flanges are the annular metal gaskets 43 and 44 which are seated in registering grooves in the respective flanges, as shown.

The adjacent parts are internally countersunk in opposite sides of the joint between them and seated in the countersunk portions are the sealing sleeves, as 45, 46.

On opposite sides 0! the respective joints the adjacent parts have internal annular grooves 41, 48 and 49, 50 and in these grooves and surrounding the correspoding sleeves are the seal rings 5 I, 52 and 53, 54 which are formed of resilient material and which surround and form seals with the corresponding sleeves on opposite sides of the corresponding joint. There are radial reserve containers 55, 56 and 51, 58 which radiate from said grooves and which are filled with reserve supplies of the sealing material. Plungers 59, 60 and BI, 62 are threaded through the flanges 39, 40 and 4|, 42, respectively, and abut the corresponding reserve supplies of sealing material so that should a leak develop the plungers may be screwed inwardly to cause the sealing material to flow from'the corresponding reserve supply into the corresponding seal ring to stop the leak. Within said flanges and surrounding said plungers are seals which, in the present instance, are shown as stuffing boxes 63, 64 and 65, 66. This type of seal, as hereabove described, will protect the gaskets 43, 44 from contact with the well fluid.

The drawings and description are illustrative merely while the broad principle of the invention will be defined by the appended claims.

What I claim is: I

1. In a well head apparatus comprising, a lower well head, an upper well head supported upon the lower head and connected directly thereto whereby only a single joint is provided between said heads, and a well casing extending through and supported within the lower head and having its upper free end projecting into the upper head beyond the joint between said heads, the improvement which resides in means for reducing the effective pressure area which is tending to separate the connected well heads, said means including, sealing means located in the base of the upper well head between the free end of the well casing and the joint between the heads, whereby pressure from the exposed free end of the casing is prevented from access to the joint between the connected heads.

2. Joint sealing means for reducing the efiective pressure area tending to separate a pair of connected superposed well heads, wherein a well pipe extends through the lower head and has its upper free end extending into the upper head, said joint sealing means including, an annular sealing member mounted in the base of the bore of the upper well head and having sealing engagement with the exterior of the well pipe at a point between the free end of the well pipe and the joint between the heads, whereby pressure from the exposed free end of-the well pipe is prevented from access to the joint between the connected heads.

3. In a well head apparatus which includes, a casing head, a tubing head supported upon and connected directly to said casing head, whereby only a single joint is provided between the heads, a well casing extending through the casing head and having its upper open end extending beyond the joint into the tubing head, and an annular seal at the joint and presenting a circumscribed area greater than the inside diameter of the tubing head, the improvement which resides in an anunlar sealing means within the tubing head and located between the open upper end of the well casing and the inner wall oi the tubing head and above the joint between the heads, said annular sealing means sealing oifthe well casing pressure from the circumscribed area defined by the sea] at the joint to thereby reduce the eflective area exposed to well casing pressure to an area which is substantially less than the circumscribed area defined by the annular seal at the joint.

4. Joint sealing Yneans as set forth in claim 2, wherein the upper head is formed with an annular recess in its bore and wherein the annular sealing member is disposed within the recess, and means accessible from the exterior 01. said upper head and mounted in the wall thereof for co-acting with the annular sealing member to urge the same into effective sealing position.

5. Joint sealing means for reducing the effective pressure area tending to separate a pair of connected superposed well heads wherein a tubular element spans the joint between the heads and has its open upper end within the upper head, said sealing means including, an annular seal beconnected heads.

ARTHUR J. PENICK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the die of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Penick Feb. 25, 1941 Barker Aug. 11, 1942 Number 

